Summer so far....

We have had a busy summer this year! Mark and Ryan have spent hours and hours helping Papaw with long overdue yardwork. Because of his mom's illnesses she was unwilling to let anything get done there. They are making up for years of neglect and its tough!

I have been decluttering our house, doing a few improvement projects and learning to crochet with thread. We've also rescued several dogs, all returned to their rightful owners thankfully.



(crochet flower ornament)


It has been ungodly hot here in east Texas this year! Most summers are hot but we've had temps well over 100 for at least 6 weeks now, with no end in sight. As of today, 72% of Texas is in extreme drought. Its not pretty. Crops have failed, livestock are dying, fires have destroyed acres upon acres of land. I am thankful we live in the eastern part of the state, so far no major fires here. Can't wait for some cooler temps though!



The kids have had a banner year for socializing! Sarah now has four neighborhood girls to hang out with, something she's never got to do before. Ryan had a huge birthday pool party in May and continues to entertain friends by the droves. Currently two friends are staying the week and a pasture campout will happen tonight with an additional several coming out for the adventure. The girls and I have plans for a spa night after we return from a marshmallow roasting visitation.


(one of about a gazillion cicadas so far this year!)


(Tibert isn't stupid)


(Mark resting on Papaw's porch at last weekend's work session there)


(assorted pots gathered from the yard)


(pulling vines out of the trees is hard work!)


(newly painted dining table!)


(fire from the boys night out in Papaw's pasture)


The day after Mark's mom's funeral, his dad told him who his biological mother is. So we have been finding assorted birth relatives for the past few weeks. Pictures as well as information have been provided from his aunt's family. These are Mark's biological maternal grandparents, he looks very much like his grandfather! My mom is a genealogy genius and has zipped his birth family all the way back to Jamestown and then some! It is fascinating to find out things that we've always suspected(a Native American ancestor) are actually true. Anyway, we have plans to meet his half-brother this fall when we visit my parents. One of his cousins lives 3 blocks from us and we will meet up with him soon too. It is neat for our kids to be able to know the biological ties to their ancestry.



(pool on a good day)


(this guy has the right idea!)

Ovis Branham Sonier

May 8, 1926 -June 12, 2011

Mark's mom suffered from Alzheimer's Disease and wasn't her usual self for the better part of the last 10 years. These past several months have seen her rapid decline. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on Sunday afternoon. We are grateful she didn't suffer long with this awful disease.

(Obituary)

Riverboarding!

What is Riverboarding?

Comfort Food...

Today we took the boat out to Gilmer Lake for a test run to see how the motor would be. We had a not-so-great day fishing(we didn't catch anything, sunburn, lost lures, fought winds, and had so-so luck with the motor-but it could have been worse). Plus Mark has come down with the nasty sore throat I had a few weeks ago and tomorrow is his birthday. When we came home I was scrounging for some dinner that wasn't a frozen burrito or eggroll or leftover spaghetti. I spied the half-eaten bag of Doritos we took on the boat and had an instant craving for Dorito Casserole.

My mom's sister Donna introduced us to this awesome, tasty dish when I was a little girl. It had Rotel tomatoes, cream of mushroom and chicken soups, ground beef, and lots of cheese. My mom made it very occasionally and I've made it a few times now and then(like every 2-3 years). It is sooooo good and sooooo bad for you at the same time, the perfect comfort food! Once you get a craving for something like this, nothing else will do though so I was disappointed to think I couldn't make this tonight... or so I thought.

There was a new block of extra sharp cheddar in the fridge along with a couple leftover chicken leg quarters I'd baked on Thursday, some sour cream, and a jar of green chili salsa. In the pantry was a jar of roasted red pepper alfredo sauce. Oh my gooosh this was good!!!! It didn't make much but it was just enough for the four of us to have one serving(Ryan is camping with friends and missed out- bummer).

Southern Comfort Chicken Dorito Casserole

(all measurements very approximate)

3/4 cup sour cream
1 jar roasted red pepper alfredo sauce(use 3/4 of it)
3 cups Doritos(not crushed), I used spicy salsa flavor
3 cups cut up chicken(cooked)
2/3 cup green chili salsa, I used Herdez brand
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder(or cook up an onion if you have time)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients well in a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a greased 8x8 casserole dish or 9x5x3 loaf pan(I used my Pampered Chef stoneware loaf pan). Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350. Serve hot with cut up veggies such as baby carrots and cucumbers. This will serve 2 very hungry people or 4 very tired people who need something to eat.

Something new...

but first...


(Jasper with his darling pink nose being his cutie-pie self)

And now...

Several days ago an idea popped into my head. No idea where it came from but I knew I had to act immediately to put it in motion. These are my latest creations.... beaded crocheted necklaces and bracelets! They go together in minutes(about 15 total) and are super easy. I make them big enough to slip over the head so I don't have to put in a hook or closure but I plan to make some chokers too.



(pics taken with Amy's camera phone and not edited at all- sorry so blurry and washed out)




So far I've made 20 necklaces and 2 bracelets out of white, teal, red and black threads but plan to add a rainbow multi, marigold, and pink(among other colors) this weekend. My mom is going to send me a few handfuls of beads since I can't find what I'm looking for at our local Hobby Lobby or Michael's. They used to carry tubes that were color-themed but varied in shape and size. Now all I can find is assorted(very muted) colors in the tubes. Luckily I had a pretty decent stash to plow through because these them!

In other news...

I've been sick for over a week with a NASTY sore throat and sinus problems. Ugh! It is better today but definitely not gone. Last night Sparkle and Tallulah slept on either side of me, I think they knew I didn't feel good.

I've got to put my beans on to soak tonight! Homesick Texan's Ranch Style Beans are on my mind, been wanting to make them for a week now but haven't felt like it.

Tomorrow is supposed to be icky and rainy so it will be perfect weather for beading and bean eating. Mark has another 5K race. He won his age group last weekend and was 14th over all out of 200+. His friend, who is running because of Mark's encouragement, won his age group too(30somethings) and was 3rd over all!!! Hopefully they'll do well this time out too.

If I feel well enough we'll texture the walls on Sunday. I'm SO ready to paint!!!
If I feel up to it we'll texture the dining room walls on Sunday. I hope I do because I'm S

A Lucky Dog...

About a month ago Sarah started in on us about getting a puppy for Christmas. Of course we immediately and resoundingly said "NO". We already have 3 big dogs, half-dozen cats, and half-dozen guinea pigs, another dog was NOT in our plans! Apparently the powers that be took that as a challenge on Sarah's behalf. They saw an opportunity to play a great joke....

One night last week, maybe Wednesday or Thursday, Mark mentioned that there had been a stray dog or puppy under a storage building at the place he works for a few days. I didn't think too much of it, dogs wander around a lot and we figured it would be long gone.

It wasn't.

We briefly discussed the possibility of making Sarah's Christmas wish come true but were 90% sure the dog would move on.

With temperatures expected to dip into the low twenties, the puppy didn't have much of a chance Friday night so the employees worked Thursday afternoon and all day Friday to lure her out with no luck. She would come out about a foot and then scoot back under, causing them much frustration. The boss finally brought a trap and baited it with turkey legs, something they'd fed the dog the day before. I think he was afraid she'd die under his building and they'd have to move it to get her out.

At 8pm Mark and I drove down(an hour 1-way) to check the trap. Nothing. We were able to see her back under the building so we parked across the alley and waited. Nothing. Except that Mark's boss drove up and checked the trap too. I felt much better seeing that. We could expect that someone would be around if she ended up caught. Still it was hard to drive away without that puppy knowing she'd probably be dead in the morning.

Saturday morning, still nothing.

Sunday around noon his boss called to let us know that she'd been caught if we wanted her. We were in the car less than 5 minutes later, telling the kids that Mark needed to go on a "pick-up" run to Carthage and I was going to ride with him to discuss Christmas presents. They had NO IDEA.

I think Sarah was in shock when I walked through the door with a puppy! She has been quick to let me know that she does NOT like surprises.

So, here she is. We have named her Pashmina. The vet says she's about 10 weeks old, 6.5 pounds, and probably a good bit Schnauzer.

Merry Christmas Pashmina!! We sure hope you love living with us!

Christmasy Stuff...

But first a product plug!! My bloggy pal Autumn posted about a lip balm challenge over at Great Cakes Soapworks and I was chosen to test out one of her lip butters!! We opted for the Coconut Mango flavor and it is fantastic! It stays on forever, doesn't melt and slide off, it tastes great, doesn't make your throat dry(I can't be the only one to experience this with lip balm can I?), it smells SCRUMPTIOUS, and feels like silk! I plan to order an assortment of the yummy flavors she's got available(Vanilla Latte, Orange Creamsicle, Cinnamon Bun, Limeade,...) for stocking stuffers.
I think I'll even get one of the Lava Lip Gloss rollers because I would LOVE to be 13 again!

Now, onto the weekend...

Mark told me to wear shoes I could clomp around the woods in so I put on my Vasque hiking boots for the first time. They are a bit stiff but otherwise very warm and sturdy, LOVE them!



We drove over the river and through the woods to Danville Farms. We've been getting our trees from them for several years now and are never disappointed.



As luck would have it, I forgot to take the camera on our tree search but here is the shaking and binding station.



While Mark and Ryan were doing this...



Sarah and I warmed up by the fire.



Then it was time to go.






I managed to get the lights on and the girls put a few ornaments on late last night.


(its about 10 feet tall)



Before I forget, I got crafty last week and made some cone trees!! I don't know why I decided to do these, can't recall where I'd seen them. I figured out a pattern, found some online to look at and went for it! They turned out pretty cute, in my opinion! Hopefully the craft bug will continue to bite me, I have some ideas...






In other news....

Sarah rudely interrupted my "meeting Lisa Whelchel" dream with her barfing this morning. Mark and I have the queasies so it looks like the stomach bug is paying us a visit. Hopefully it will be short-lived and mild. I'd much rather have the crafty bug than the oogie bug. Sigh.

Howdy from the Yamboree...

There were cows...




At one point the girls and I found ourselves in a sea of them...





Other critters...









Pretty colors...(I bought pickled carrots)




(these are done by grade schoolers, decorated yams of course)

Music...



Refreshments...







And rides...






(the girls and I did this one)

Now its time to take a cue from the grand champion swine and get some shut eye...



In other news...

Mark finished his Half-Marathon in 2 hours 18 seconds!! 145th of 295 runners! Not bad at all!!!